Year 2038 Problem

[ACE]

The Year 2038 Problem (32-bit machines only)

The year 2038 problem (also known as "Unix Millennium bug", "Y2K38," "Y2K+38," or "Y2.038K" by analogy to the Y2K problem) may cause some computer software to fail before or in the year 2038. The problem affects Unix-like operating systems, which represent system time as the number of seconds (ignoring leap seconds) since 00:00:00 January 1, 1970. This representation also affects software written for most other operating systems because of the broad deployment of C. On most 32-bit systems, the time_t data type used to store this second count is a signed 32-bit integer. The latest time that can be represented in this format, following the POSIX standard, is 03:14:07 UTC on Tuesday, January 19, 2038. Times beyond this moment will "wrap around" and be represented internally as a negative number, and cause programs to fail, since they will see these times not as being in 2038 but rather in 1901. Erroneous calculations and decisions may therefore result.

A Known problem

In May 2006, reports surfaced of an early Y2038 problem in the AOLserver software. The software would specify that a database request should "never" time out by specifying a timeout date one billion seconds in the future. One billion seconds (just over 31 years 251 days and 12 hours) after 21:27:28 on 12 May 2006 is beyond the 2038 cutoff date, so after this date, the timeout calculation overflowed and calculated a timeout date that was actually in the past, causing the software to crash.

Solutions

There is no easy fix for this problem for existing CPU/OS/File System combinations. Changing the definition of time_t to use a 64-bit type would break binary compatibility for software, data storage, and generally anything dealing with the binary representation of time. Changing time_t to an unsigned 32-bit integer, effectively allowing timestamps to be accurate until the year 2106, would affect many programs that deal with time differences.

Most operating systems for 64-bit architectures already use 64-bit integers in their time_t. The move to these architectures is already underway and many expect it to be complete before 2038. Using a (signed) 64-bit value introduces a new wraparound date in about 290 billion years. However, as of 2007, hundreds of millions of 32-bit systems are deployed, many in embedded systems, and it is far from certain they will all be replaced by 2038.

Despite the modern 18- to 24-month generational update in computer systems technology, embedded computers may operate unchanged for the life of the system they control. The use of 32-bit time_t has also been encoded into some file formats, which means it can live on for a long time beyond the life of the machines involved.

A variety of alternative proposals have been made, some of which are in use, including storing either milliseconds or microseconds since an epoch (typically either January 1, 1970 or January 1, 2000) in a signed-64 bit integer, providing a minimum of 300,000 years range.[4][5] Other proposals for new time representations provide different precisions, ranges, and sizes (almost always wider than 32 bits), as well as solving other related problems, such as the handling of leap seconds.

[via wikipedia]

[Weesnaw]

Tinfoil Hattery

[Dark616]

I find it hard to believe that by 2038 most people won't be on 64 bit os, isn't windows 7 supposed to be 64 bit only?

[mr.handsomeman]

hmm....kind of hard to believe, I don't know man, the only thing that goes through my mind is "WTF"?

[Gregory]

Meh, I am sure by 2038 everyone will be using a 64bit machine, or we will find a way to emulate it just for the clock.

Heck, Core 2 Duo processors can run 64 bit, today.

[PityOnU]

Just another reason that Unix sucks.

[ACE]

No matter how you look at it, there's gonna be some problems. Either telling everyone they'll need to convert to 64-bit machines (which will make a TON of applications we use on a daily basis unusable) which everyone won't be extremely happy about, or 'hope' everyone makes the conversion autonomously which could lead to some 32-bit systems staying on past the Jan 2038 date.

Can you imagine how many corporate systems are tied to 32-bit systems? Who's gonna foot the bill to switch them all over??

I wonder if Zune's on a 32-bit code....hrm...

[Trogdor]

I think that this will likely be solved in 30 years, and if the solution is made at the last minute and the world is on the brink of war it willl make an awesome movie

[MasterSprtn117]

By that time, we'll probably have 128-bit..

[Dark616]

I doubt it. maybe on high end ones tho.

[charmed61]

Originally Posted by MasterSprtn117

By that time, we'll probably have 128-bit..

i believe you... by that time 64-bit will probably be so common no one will have 32-bit... and by that time probably all the softwares will be converted... and for zunes... lol by that time my zune will probably be melted and turn into something else (meaning i would've got a newer Mp3 player)

[133794m3r]

Originally Posted by MasterSprtn117

By that time, we'll probably have 128-bit..

yeah... but base 64 is already so ****ing crazy.... I mean imagine base128 imagine it!

[sharkfinblues]

this is why all my Y2K protection discs became frisbees.......sheer ludicrosity (the trait of being super ludicrous)

[Miss Contagious]

eh.. it sounds like the y2k ****. dont worry about it. buy a new comp if it fails but by then im sure we wont even be using them. lol..

[Hostile]

I think I'm going to go with that by 2038, we will all be on systems that this problem will not affect. That's 30 years away, 30 years ago computers were just getting a start. Technology moves way too fast for this to be an issue I think.

[1wdc]

This is so outrageous this doesn't even belong in serious discussion.

[AquaToad]

Originally Posted by Dark616

I find it hard to believe that by 2038 most people won't be on 64 bit os, isn't windows 7 supposed to be 64 bit only?

yea by that time 32 bit will be long dead